Former banker spices up career by launching Indian food business with help of Chambers

Giving birth to triplets in 2002 was life-changing for Nicki Kainth from Penkridge.

She had worked in banking for seven years but becoming a mum of three girls led her to quickly reassess her priorities.

Nicki said: “As soon as I became a mum and saw these three gorgeous girls, I knew that I wanted to be with them every step of their journey through life. The girls are now 19 and at university.

“When they were 10, I started making cakes. I knew the basics and I’m quite artistic, so I taught myself more advanced techniques with a lot of help of YouTube. This led to me setting up my own cake business.

“During the first lockdown in 2020 I had an idea to start my ‘East meets West’ afternoon teas with an Indian twist of adding samosas and pakoras. This really took off and people loved it as it was something different.

“Positive feedback and readiness for a new challenge led me to start a new Indian food home delivery business, ‘The Indian Foodiva’. This was during the second lockdown; it was an instant hit, and I was fully booked within the first week. I had to turn people away and politely ask them to book early for the following week.

“I tried to offer something a little different by adding a delicious dessert to my starter and main course options. The reviews were amazing, and I got so many comments about the quality, freshness and taste of the food and the addition of desserts with a takeaway.

“However, as lockdown ended and the restaurants reopened, I saw a tail off in business. This is when I got in touch with the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce for some help.

“I want to take my business to the next level and wasn’t entirely sure how to do this. I had great advice from start-up advisor Aly Davidson.  Her advice was invaluable, as not only had she provided me with insight and knowledge to take my business forward but also, her encouragement and faith in me was so positive it made me realise that if I’ve done it once, I can do it again!

“The next exciting stage in the development of my business is to add party and corporate lunches to my offer whilst still continuing with my regular deliveries and my cake business, Adoracake.

“Going forwards I will be attending lots of Chamber meetings I have signed up to their Boosting Women in Business course. I aim to take every bit of help that’s offered and utilise the networking to build up my circle of contacts.

“I am incredibly grateful to Aly and the Chambers for this opportunity and for helping me on my new journey. The help may be free, but its value is immense as I would have struggled to learn so much and make so many wonderful contacts in a relatively short time.”

Aly Davidson added: “Nicki has a fabulous business and a great work ethic. I was impressed that she has quickly recognised that circumstances change, and you can’t stand still. That’s what we are here for, to give people the knowledge and tools to develop and grow their business. It’s a pleasure working with Nicki, and I have no doubt she will continue to build on her success.”

If you are thinking of starting a business and would like to discuss your plans, contact start@staffordshirechambers.co.uk or call 01782 202222.